


Where I Belong

by 203_508



Series: Class Project [3]
Category: Beasts of No Nation
Genre: Gen, Rape/Non-con Elements, Trauma, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:53:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26504710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/203_508/pseuds/203_508
Summary: Jackson finds himself looking for a way back home in the midst of a war raging in Ghana.
Series: Class Project [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926754





	Where I Belong

Jackson packed all of his belongings as he prepared himself to go on a journey with his father. He then made his way downstairs and put all of his luggage in the trunk of his mom’s car. He got in the back seat with his sisters and waited for his dad to get in front. His mom drove Jackson and his dad to the airport and tried her best to find a good parking spot. He got hugs and kisses from his mom and sisters as they said their final good-byes and he made his way to the terminal. Jackson got a sick feeling in his stomach as he boarded his flight and found his seat. He wondered why he had to accompany his father in this arduous Journey to Ghana especially when there were wars going on in the region. Jackson knew that being the only son in his family, his dad relied on him heavily when there were family matters involved. His grandmother had just passed away and his father needed to give her a proper funeral & deal with her belongings. Jackson had just turned 14 and looked up to his father who had been a soldier for most of his life. He was very young when his family moved to the United States and Jackson had very little clue about what life was like in Ghana. The flight to Africa took days and he spent most of his time playing games on his console. 

After the plane finally landed in Ghana, Jackson was relieved as he suffered from jetlag and had trouble sleeping. Jacksons dad had booked a very nice hotel resort so he could finally relax and have fun before taking the drive to his Grandma’s village. He had a blast for the next few days as he got to soak up the sun alongside the pool area with lots of gorgeous women. He also got to interact with the wildlife up close during his days in the resort. Having had his fun, Jackson felt ready to travel to his grandmas isolated village that was located between the borders of Burkina Faso and Ghana. His dad had hired an SUV driver to take them all the way to the border. The drive was exhausting as he had to deal with the scorching heat and unforgiving terrains which took 16 hours but felt like forever. Jackson was thankful having finally arrived at his Grandma’s house as his Uncle greeted them and welcomed them in. His uncle introduced Jackson to his family and directed them towards the bed him and his dad would be sleeping in and helped unpack their belongings. He then had dinner and went to bed exhausted from the long journey. Jackson woke up the next morning and went to go explore the village with his cousins while his Dad and his uncle went to the coroner’s office. Jackson saw that there was an incredible number of U.N. soldiers standing guard in the Village some of them were relatively friendly and played soccer with the local kids.

About a week went by as Jackson spent his time helping set up for the funeral and hung out with the village kids. The fateful day arrived when suddenly message came around that the village was going to be attacked by an unknown terrorist organization. Panic set in like wildfire across the village as the villagers gathered together to discuss whether they should stay and fight in the village or pack their valuable belongings and leave. The villagers decided that the men were to stay and hide while the women and children left with the limited number of drivers that were available. Jackson had trouble sleeping after hearing about the looming threat coming to his village and wondered if he would ever be able to go back to his family in America. There were only men and boys left in the village and they would meet up at the local church every day to plan where they would hide and avoid the warfare. The day of reckoning finally came as Jackson was woken up by gunshots in the distance. He immediately got up and went to the living room where his father, his uncle and his cousins had decided to meet up. They got up and navigated towards the granary storage where the community had decided to hide together. Jackson noticed that the gunshots were getting closer and louder. It seemed like the U.N. soldiers were retreating and terrorists were beginning to gain ground. Moments passed and Jackson heard a loud bang at the door and his blood ran cold as he saw a large figure holding an ak-47 who didn’t seem to be wearing any uniform. The terrorist identified himself as the IRF and ordered all the people to come out of hiding. The IRF soldiers ordered the men to line up shoulder to shoulder and stripped them of all their clothes and belongings. The men were then tied up and forced to get on their knees. The IRF soldiers ignored Jackson as the saw him as merely a scared boy and unworthy of their time. Jackson was scared shitless and frozen in fear as he saw his father on his knees and helpless. The IRF commander listened to the pleas of the villagers and began executing the men one by one. Jackson’s dad knowing his fate charged at the soldier in front of him and screamed at Jackson to “Get the fuck out of here”. Jackson upon seeing his father being torn to shreds by bullets ran as fast as he could. The terrorists began executing all the men and started firing at children as Jackson made his way into the thick wood barely missing the bullets that came his way. 

Jackson had been running for hours as adrenaline raced across his body and his mind went numb. Exhausted and having no sense of direction as to where he was, He had a panic attack and collapsed onto the floor. He woke up hours later thirsty, hungry, and severely traumatized as he wondered where he was and what was he to do. Jackson had some experience surviving in the woods as he was a boy scout, so he began looking for leaves with water on them to quench his thirst. He collected small twigs nearby and started a fire so he could keep himself warm for the night. Jackson began looking for fruits or berries but could find none, so he went to sleep hungry and angry at his father for bringing him to this shithole. Days passed as he looked for a way out of the forest. He was becoming increasingly desperate as he continued his search for food. He resorted to eating leaves which made him throw up immediately. Filled with anxiety and hunger, Jackson looked for the nearest water source hoping to find some food. As he made his way to the stream, he noticed a young boy staring at him from a distance and noticed that he was carrying something. Other men and boys suddenly began popping out of the bushes and all of them began pointing their guns at him. One of the boys pushed him into the ground and began tying him up. Jackson laid down on the ground helpless as he noticed that the soldiers made way for a large man who was considerably older than the rest of them. One of the soldiers stomped off and saluted the man and referred to him as Commandant. 

The commandant came up to Jackson and asked him what his name is. “My name is Jackson”, replied Jackson hurriedly. The commandant then motioned his men to bring food and water. The commandant brings about a serious look on his face and threatened Jackson with a knife demanding to know whether he’s a spy. One of the soldiers suggested that the General get rid of Jackson as he is a worthless boy and could be a spy. Jackson as convincing as possible tries to tell the commandant that he is not a spy and ran away from his village that got attacked by the IRF. The commandant recognizing his American accent decides that Jackson was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time and offers him the water and food. The commandant offers Jackson a deal and tells him “If you are staying with me, I will be taking care of you and we will be fighting the enemy that is taking your father. Are you hearing me?”. Having nowhere else to go and no one to take care of him, Jackson agrees to join the commandant and his army. He notices that he is not the only abandoned child in the commandant’s army and that there were other kids picked up by the commandant who had lost their families and homes to terrorist attacks. He was provided with a blanket and a new set of clothes by the commandant and followed the soldiers back to their hideout. Jackson was finally able to get a proper night of sleep knowing that he was at least safe with the commandant’s troops.

The next morning, all the new recruits were gathered up and put through grueling workouts that involved running and calisthenics. Jackson ran track in his middle school and was very athletic, so he had a relatively easy time getting through the challenges. For the final challenge, the recruits had to get through the parallel line of soldiers beating down on the recruits with sticks. Jackson was relieved in having passed the test and was horrified to see the fate of the recruits that couldn’t make it past the beatings. The recruits that failed the test were executed and the children that passed were given drugs and put through a shaman ritual. After the ritual, Jackson was deemed a warrior and agreed to give up his life for his fellow soldiers and the commandant. Jackson was then paired up with Strika and expected to learn everything about his expectations as a child soldier. Strika hardly talked at all but taught Jackson everything about hunting and gathering supplies in a matter of few weeks. Jackson had found his place among the commandant’s soldiers and the commandant had begun to take notice of Jackson.

The commandant ordered his soldiers to get ready as they had a big day ahead of them. The soldiers were ordered to move to a nearby bridge and set up an ambush on the IRF soldiers that were set to bring supplies to a nearby village. Jackson was asked to carry all of the ammunition for his assigned soldier and stay close to him. The commandant’s soldiers set up a bomb under the bridge and hid wherever possible with their guns and RPGs. Hours passed as Jackson finally heard distant roaring of engines as a fleet of trucks were making their way to the Bridge. The commandant signaled his troops to get ready and wait for his command. As the trucks go close to the bridge, the commandant ordered his soldiers to blow up the bridge and ambush the IRF soldiers. The trucks were forced to come to a halt and all of the IRF soldiers were immediately at the mercy of the Commandant’s soldiers. The soldiers looted all of the soldiers supplies and lined up the soldiers. Their leader was brought up the commandant and he begged and cried for his life arguing that he was an engineer and not a soldier. The Commandant ordered Jackson to come forward and handed him a dull machete. “These are the men that took your father, are you hearing me Jackson” said the commandant as he ordered him to “split the man’s head like a melon”. He began getting cold feet and his heart raced uncontrollably as he struggled to take another human’s life. Strika noticing Jackson’s struggles came up and landed the first blow. Adrenaline rushed through Jackson as he joined Strika in beating the screaming IRF leader into a pile of dead meat. The rest of the IRF soldiers were then executed and the Commandant lauded him for getting his first kill. He threw up feeling sick down to his stomach after realizing what he’d done. Thoughts began running through Jackson’s head that he was going to hell and there was no coming back from his actions. He wanted to beg god for his forgiveness but wondered if god even existed in this desolate hellhole. The commandant ordered his troops to go back to their hideout and celebrate their success with the soldiers. After they reached their hideouts the soldiers began celebrating and gave Jackson cocaine. The drugs only made Jackson more paranoid as he contemplated his actions and wondered if he was ever going to survive and make his way back to his family.

Jackson woke up groggily the next morning as the commandant ordered his soldiers to tear up their hideout and all of its supplies. His general had ordered him to begin preparations for an attack into a nearby IRF village. The soldiers gathered all their supplies and began making their way to their next attack site. Jackson was now given his own gun and ammunition and he began getting closer to Strika and learned about his past. Jackson communicated with Strika by drawing pictures in the dirt and learned that Strika had lost both his parents at a very young age. Jackson despite the grueling tasks the commandant put him through began admiring the commandant and thought about how the commandant reminded him of his own father who was a soldier. After days of walking through the Jungle the soldiers were finally close to the IRF village. The commandant ordered his soldiers to unpack their belongings and set up camp as they were to attack the village the following day. Jackson fell asleep after he set up his bed and wondered if he had it in him to kill again. 

The soldiers woke up the next morning and prepared their ambush on the village. The commandant assigned Strika and Jackson to be his personal bodyguards and ordered his troops to begin their assault on the IRF soldiers. Jackson watched keenly as the Commandant directed his soldiers. Seeing his soldiers under heavy fire, the commandant ordered his Lieutenant to bring out the mortar they had stolen and began bombarding the village. Seeing their fellow men being torn to pieces, the IRF soldiers retreated and the commandant ordered his men to start raiding the village for supplies. Jackson made his way to one of the houses when he discovered a mother and her child begging to be left alone. The mother reminded Jackson of his family and he began feeling sorry for her. The other soldiers however began having their way with the mother and Jackson found himself unable to process her cries and screams. Jackson mercifully unloaded his rifle into the woman’s head hoping to free her from her pain and suffering. Jackson dropped his gun and his hands began shaking as his fellow soldiers backed off the woman. After the village was rid of its inhabitants, the commandant ordered his troops to crash in the village for the time being. Despite his actions the commandant was quite proud of Jackson and ordered him into his personal room. The commandant began talking to his general with Jackson in the room. He overheard the general commending the commandant for his actions and ordering him to return back to their main headquarters. The commandant then explained to Jackson that the General was a local politician and would be able to reunite him back with his family. He felt an unrelenting rush of happiness run through his body and began sobbing uncontrollably. Jackson was then ordered to spend the night with the commandant. He woke up the next morning feeling sick and unable to stand up as Strika helped him up and came to his aid. 

The commandant ordered his troops to gather their supplies and start loading them into the IRF trucks as they were to make their way back to the headquarters. This was by far the easiest Journey Jackson had to take as he simply had to sit in the back of a truck and not take any more grueling walks. Six hours later the soldiers made their way to the headquarters and allowed in by its soldiers. Jackson and Strika were allowed to accompany the commandant along with their lieutenant to meet the General. Jackson and his fellow soldiers were awarded with an abundance of food as they hungrily devoured what was available in the Governor’s palace. Jackson, Strika, and the Lieutenant then accompanied the commandant to the waiting room where they sat waiting for their turn to speak with the General. After a long wait the Commandant was finally allowed to enter the General’s room and Jackson had to wait outside with his friends. The two men had their talk for hours and the commandant came out to introduce Jackson to the General. The General then told Jackson that he understood his situation and would help him get in contact with the American embassy to help Jackson get back home. Jackson was finally reunited with his mom back in America after a month and Jackson began breaking down in front of her. He had survived a long and impossible journey to get back home. Time slowly passed as Jackson returned to his life as a normal American teenager. Jackson’s life returned to normal but me often found himself wondering if he truly belonged among his family and friends he often wondered if his past would catch up to him and whether his soldier existence had been his true calling.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are appreciated!


End file.
